


the care and keeping of wild mice

by Crowmunculus



Series: care and keeping of [1]
Category: No. 6 (Anime & Manga), No. 6 - All Media Types, No. 6 - Asano Atsuko
Genre: M/M, post-reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-15
Updated: 2015-09-15
Packaged: 2018-04-20 23:10:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4805690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crowmunculus/pseuds/Crowmunculus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>25 rules from Shion's Guidelines for the Care and Keeping of Nezumi, post-reunion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the care and keeping of wild mice

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to my tumblr in 2014. I eventually want to expand on this by writing ficlets for each number so while this is listed as complete for now, I want to add more someday!

1\. If Nezumi wants to sleep in, let him.

2\. When Nezumi wakes up from a nightmare, don’t try to make him talk about it. Make him hot cocoa or tea and stay by his side and wait to see if he initiates talk himself. If touch is okay, hold him even closer than I normally do.

3\. Do NOT use Nezumi’s toothbrush by mistake, this is somehow a capital offense that results in prolonged pouting and loud disapproval, despite the fact that he’s been exposed to my “gross mouth germs” more than enough already and he’s never complained before.

4\. When Nezumi is loud and lashing out in his anger, don’t take it personally; anger is his fear response, and it is not about me. Give him space and time to calm down and let him come to me first before engaging. Wait for him to apologize. He always does. Be understanding if he doesn’t want to talk about whatever triggered him.

5\. When drinking, do NOT become more drunk than Nezumi, because I WILL embarrass myself, and he won’t shut up about mocking me for it for at least a month.

6\. When drinking also take care that Nezumi does not drink too much, because he is an absolute holy terror when he’s hung over.

7\. There is no such thing as too many books. Take any chance possible to procure books that Nezumi hasn’t read yet.

8\. Scolding Nezumi for leaving the resulting abundance of books everywhere - on the floor in the middle of the hallway, between the couch cushions, in the bed - will do nothing. He is incorrigible. I must resign myself to tripping over ill-placed books during midnight bathroom runs and hope that when I inevitably break a bone he will change his ways.

9\. If Nezumi does not have to cover up with the superfibre when leaving the house, he does not have enough hickeys on his neck. Give him more.

10\. Nezumi will deny it vehemently, but he is actually a romantic at heart. Buy or pick him fresh bouquets of flowers every time the last bunch wilts. Press flowers into books of love poems for him to find later. Asters are his favorites.

11\. Shakespearean roleplay sex is NEVER a good idea. Do NOT let Nezumi attempt to convince me otherwise. It has never gone well and it never will go well.

12\. This does not mean that Nezumi is not allowed to wear the Ophelia dress in the bedroom, though, but if he breaks out the iambic pentamenter it’s time to cut him off.

13\. Kiss Nezumi as much as I can, whenever I can. Give him as much positive physical contact and affection as possible. I can’t make up for all those years he was alone, but I can make sure he never has to feel that lonely ever again.

14\. But, understand that sometimes Nezumi doesn’t want to be touched and doesn’t want to talk about why. Always ask before touching, even for something as simple as holding his hand, even if he says it’s annoying him - it’s better for him to be annoyed than for me to hurt him without meaning to when he doesn’t have the voice to tell me to stop.

15\. There are some things in his past that Nezumi might never be able to tell me about. That’s okay. I can support him even without knowing the details.

16\. There will be times when learning some of those details will be painful for me. Always remember that it is not about my pain. I need to be strong for Nezumi in those moments, not expect him to take care of me. And if he tries to make it about me, don’t let him. He deserves to be selfish when he’s hurting.

17\. Let Nezumi be selfish, even over the pettiest, stupidest of things, like who gets to drink the last of the coffee, or who gets to take up more of the bed. I need to choose my battles and let Nezumi win most of them, because he deserves to be selfish _period_ , given how long he had nothing, for how long he went cold and hungry.

18\. However, Nezumi is NOT permitted to steal ALL of the blankets, that is completely unnecessary and not allowed.

19\. Nezumi does not approve of my fashion sense. Buying him clothes is a nice thought but ends in failure a good 90% of the time. It’s better to fund him to let him buy his own clothes.

20\. Set limits for Nezumi’s clothes budget and stick to them. He is allowed an entire closet and wardrobe to himself, he does not need more space for more clothes. He does not need that many dresses, no matter how good he may look in them.

21\. No one needs to watch _The Sound of Music_ that many times in a month. SET LIMITS AND STICK TO THEM.

22\. If Nezumi cries, don’t make a production of it. Don’t even mention his tears. That is when he is at his most vulnerable and when I need to be the most gentle and cautious and understanding.

23\. If Nezumi screams, it’s not about me, but I don’t have to put up with it, either. Walk out of the room. Don’t humor him. Let him scream it out on his own. He’s learning better coping mechanisms, but he isn’t perfect; give him time. He will be very vulnerable afterward. Don’t shame him for it; he’s already feeling deeply ashamed. Don’t dwell on the incident, clean up and move on.

23\. If Nezumi asks for help, help him, no matter what it is, even if it is just him manipulating me into helping him do his own chores. Encourage him to ask for help as much as possible. Teach him that it’s okay to need help and that it’s safe to ask for it.

24\. If Nezumi spends a lot of time staring out windows, don’t be afraid. You can never fully tame something once feral. It doesn’t mean he isn’t happy and it doesn’t mean he wants to leave - it means he is still learning _how_ to be happy, and still learning _how_ to not run away when he is. Any threats he makes to leave when he is hurting and irrational are empty ones. Even if he does leave in a panic, he is never gone for long, and he always comes back. Just be sure to leave the window open.

25\. Take every possible chance to let Nezumi know I love him. He’ll feign annoyance; he’s not actually upset, he just doesn’t know how to respond. He’ll learn how in time, when he finally comes to believe that he deserves it.

He won’t say it back, not yet, but that doesn’t mean the love isn’t there. He can keep his silence, but he can’t hide how he really feels. I can see it in his eyes.


End file.
